What If…
by WickedBones
Summary: What if Brenda really was pregnant during Head Over Heels? How would Fritz react? How would Brenda react?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: warning, around chapter 10 deals with rape

Chapter 1

As Brenda waited nervously in the Parker Centre's bathroom stall for the results she started shaking. What if she's pregnant? She and Fritz aren't even engaged, let alone married. Would he even stay with her? Sure, he's always wanted kids, but did he really want them with her? Would they be good parents? Oh God! Speaking of parents, how would hers react if she had a bay out of wedlock? It would give her mother a heart attack and cause her father to want to kill Fritz. On the other hand, they did always want Brenda to have a baby… Oh, who is she kidding? Clay will have Fritz in the ICU before she could even finish telling the she's pregnant.

All of a sudden, the timer she had set on her watch beeped, signaling the end of the seven minute wait period. Brenda gulped. It's time, she thought to herself, to find out if she was carrying a little Johnson-Howard inside her. She took a deep breath and turned towards the pregnancy test.

Positive.


	2. Chapter 2

Everything'll be fine, Brenda, she told herself. You know Fritz has always wanted kids.

Just then her boyfriend walked in to her -their- living room

"Hello, Fritzy." Brenda said as she fought off unpleasant thoughts.

"Brenda," he started in a serious tone. "What's wrong? Why have you been acting so out of it lately? I mean you've barely eaten, haven't had a sip of Merlot in days…" All of a sudden realization dawned on him. "Honey, are you pregnant?"

"Umm… well…" Brenda stammered. "It could have been a faulty test…"

Fritz just stared at her, shocked.

"I haven't had it confirmed by my doctor…" Brenda continued.

"But you have gotten a positive test. I can't believe it! We're gonna have a baby!" Fritz said excitedly. "We're gonna be parents! Brenda, this is great news! Honey, you are happy about this, right?"

"Well… Fritzy, no, not so much. I mean, how do I know if I'm gonna be be a good mother? Of course you'll be a great dad. You're so kind and loving. But, I… I don't know. I'm not good with kids. None of them seem to like me. Plus, we both have busy jobs. And dangerous ones, too. We go after murderers and cartels! What if one of them wanted revenge? Our son or daughter would be a target! I couldn't let that happen to a child."

She sat on her sofa looking distressed. Her boyfriend walked over to sit next to her and put an arm around her to comfort his girlfriend.

"Hey, Brenda, it's okay. You don't have to think like this. I know that back in DC when you watched your victim's four year old daughter that she liked you. And think of it this way, the baby is half me, right?"

Brenda nodded her head in response.

"Well, then there you have it. At least half of our child will adore you. Just like I do. And as for jobs, there's a daycare at the LAPD you could bring the baby to. And if anyone, and I mean anyone threatens a hair on that kids head, it'll have both you and me, and your entire squad to protect it. "

"Oh, Fritzy." Brenda said with tears in her eyes. " Are you really sure we can do it?"

"Absolutely." He said as he leaned in to kiss Brenda.

A/N: Hi all! I just wanted to thank you for reading this fanfic. If any of you have ideas for the baby's name, (boy or girl) just leave a review with them! Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N: Here's my little weekend treat to all you readers! Two chapters in two days!_**

…

As the alarm clock screeched the next morning, Brenda reluctantly rolled over to turn it off when Fritz mumbled a quick greeting to her.

"Morning, beautiful." He whispered into her ear.

"Mornin' Fritzy." Brenda replied seconds before he kissed her. "Did you sleep well?"

"Very." Was his reply. "I think it had something to do with getting to hold a gorgeous woman in my arms all night."

"Oh, Fritzy…" She stated as the landline rang."Who is callin' at this ungodly hour?"

She dragged herself outta bed to pick up the phone.

"Good mornin' Brenda Leigh." Her mother's southern drawl sounded through the phone.

"Hi, Mama." Brenda said without much enthusiasm. "Why are you callin' so early?"

"Can't I wanna talk to my only daughter once in a while?" Willie Rae said into the phone.

"Mama…" Brenda started. She was cut off by Willie Rae.

"Alright, alright. I was just callin' to remind you that your father and I are coming by for the week tomorrow. And you are still pickin' us up, right?"

"Yes, mama. I'll be there." She stopped for a breath. " Mama, how do you think daddy will react to Fritz and our livin' arrangement?"

"Oh, Brenda Leigh, let me worry about your father. He might be a little upset at first, but at least it's not like you two are already engaged or married" Her mama laughed.

"Yeah, mama. Nothin' like that…" Brenda laughed drily on her end. "I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, mama." She hung up.

Please, Brenda prayed, don't let daddy kill Fritz.


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: thank you all for reading! Please, if you have any ideas fothat's baby's name leave it in a review!_**

"Congratulations, Miss Johnson! Your blood work confirms that you are, in fact, pregnant!" Those are the words she had heard just hours before, and yet they still didn't register in Brenda's mind.

"Brenda Leigh!" The thick southern accent startled her out of her daydream. She looked up into the airport terminal and saw her parents.

"Hi mama, daddy. How was your flight?" She said as she hugged them.

Her father groaned.

"It was hot, and noisy and the kid behind me refused to stop kickin' my seat. But it's so nice to see you, honey." Clay said. Brenda's stomach lurched at the word "kid". It was a reminder of what she still had to tell her parents.

…

"And this is my home, daddy." Brenda said as she shuffled in with her parents' suitcases. "And, daddy, this is my boyfriend, Special Agent Fritz Howard, with the FBI."

"Nice to meet you." Fritz said as he shook her father's hand. "Here, honey, let me help you with that." He lifted the leather suitcases our of his girlfriend's hand.

Brenda's father was silent.

When Fritz came back from the guest bedroom he turned to Clay

"Would you like something to eat or drink?" Fritz asked Brenda's parents.

Clay stared and Fritz, his wrinkled face turning redder by the second.

"You- living- Brenda." He blubbered. Willie Rae wrapped her arm around her husband.

"Now, Clay, they are both adults. They are allowed to have a relationship and live together. At their age you and I were living together." Her mother reasoned with her father.

"We were married and had Clay junior and Brenda Leigh!" Clay exploded. How could Willie Rae equate this to the same thing, he thought.

"Oh, tomato, tomahto. Point is you are just gonna have to live with it Clay." Willie Rae rebutted. All she got was a grumble from Clay in return.

"Mama, daddy, why don't I show you the guest bedroom where you will be stayin'." Brenda motioned them towards her and Fritz's spare room.

"So if your mama and I are sleepin' in here and you're sleepin' in your room, where is he," Clay said pointing his finger at Fritz,"sleepin'."

Brenda and Fritz looked at each other uncomfortably. Willie Rae looked like she was about to give Clay a real good talking to. It was Fritz who spoke up after a few seconds.

"I will be sleeping in my bed." Fritz replied simply. Clay looked at him menacingly.

"And that would be where exactly?" He said as he took a step closer to Fritz.

Brenda stepped in between her father and her boyfriend, as if to keep them from hitting each other (which might have been the case). "In my bed, daddy. Fritz and I share a bed." Oh god, Brenda thought, can't he get it through his thick skull that Fritz and I datin' means Fritz and I sleepin' together?

"So, if y'all wouldn't mind, I'm gonna get ready for bed. It is late, after all and Fritz and I have to work tomorrow. Goodnight." She said, feeling emotional.

"Goodnight." Her mother and father replied at the same time. Brenda and Fritz retreated to the master bedroom whilst Brenda's parents went to the guest room across the hall. As soon as Fritz closed the door to their bedroom, Brenda sat on the edge of their bed with her head in her hands, bawling her eyes out. Fritz walked over to her and embraced her with one arm.

"Hey, Brenda, honey, it's okay. Your dad's just getting used to me." Fritz said as he rubbed her back.

"God, Fritzy, if that's how he reacts to me havin' a boyfriend how's he gonna react to me bein' pregnant. I mean, he practically ripped your head off for sleeping in the same be as I do. I'm just… I don't want daddy hurtin' you for a decision we both made. After all, this baby isn't just my fault, or your fault. It's ours. It's our baby. And he can't change anything." Brenda sobbed. Fritz, feeling slightly amazed that he got to see her this vulnerable, just squeezed her a bit tighter.

"Shhh… we'll be fine. Your dad can't hurt us. And if he tries to I won't hurt him I promise. What do you say about telling them first thing tomorrow?" Fritz proposed.

"I guess it's as good a time as ever." Brenda sobbed into his shoulder. Tomorrow's gonna one hell of a day, Fritz thought.

**_A/N: don't forget to review with the baby's name!_**


	5. Chapter 5

Beep beep beep. Fritz reached over Brenda to turn off the alarm clock he had mistakenly set the night before.

"Mmmmm…" Brenda moaned. "Why did you set the alarm, Fritzy? We did both take the day off last night, right?"

"Yes, sweetie." Fritz said, giving her a good morning kiss as he went back to his side of the bed. "Are you ready for this morning?"

"You mean to tell my oh-so-catholic parents that I'm pregnant and not married. Oh, yeah, that should be a hoot and a half." Brenda's drawl was thick with sarcasm.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine." Fritz said as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I hope so." Brenda said with a sinking feeling in her stomach.

…

"Oh, Brenda Leigh, are you alright? You've been in that bathroom for almost an hour. Do you have the flu? Cuz if you do you really shouldn't go into work for awhile…" Brenda's mother rambled on the other side of the bathroom door.

As Brenda launched into her third, and hopefully last bout of morning sickness of the day.

"I'm fine mama." She said after a few minutes of simultaneously throwing up and having Fritz rub her back. "It must have been something I ate last night at dinner."

…

After Brenda got cleaned up, she and Fritz joined her parents at the breakfast table. Her mama had, as usual, made enough food to feed all of China and America. Just the smell wafting from the Belgian waffles made Brenda just about running back to the bathroom.

"Mmm… Willie Rae breakfast smells delicious. Thank you so much for making it." Fritz said as he eyed the food hungrily.

"Oh your welcome, Fritz." Willie Rae chirped. "Here." She passed him a plate piled high with food. "And, Brenda, don't think I forgot about you." She crooned and handed her daughter a plate.

"Oh, um, thank you, mama. Umm, do we still have any bread left for toast?" Brenda asked, hoping her mother wouldn't notice.

"Oh, honey, why would you need toast? After all, you said that your early morning upchuck was food poisoning, or something." Her mother looked at her with concerned.

"Um… mama, daddy," Brenda started "Fritz and I," she grabbed his hand as if it could protect her, "we have something to tell you."

"Are you sick? Is it bad? Or- or are you gettin' married?" Willie Rae's voice went from anxious to excited in the space of seconds.

"Are you marryin' my daughter?" Clay asked giving Fritz the hairy eyeball.

"Not as far as I know. Brenda, am I marrying you?" Fritz said with a grin.

"Oh, Fritz, come on. Let's be serious for a minute. Mama, daddy, I'm- I mean we're- I mean I'm…" Brenda took a deep breath, shaking. "Fritz, do you wanna say it?"

Fritz took one look into her worried eyes and caved. "Alright." He said looking down at her. He then shifted his gaze to her parents. "Brenda's pregnant. We're having a baby!"

"You got my little girl pregnant?" Clay stood up. He looked like he was about to make sure Fritz never had any other kids.

"For heaven sakes, daddy, I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm almost forty!" Brenda exploded in his face, with her hands flying everywhere. "And," she said more quietly and guiltily, "you and mama always did want me to have a baby."

"Not out of wedlock, Brenda Leigh!" Her mother chimed in.

"Mama, what do you want me to do? Undo this? Well, mama, I can't. I'm a little scared right now, and I was really hoping for some support from my parents. Isn't that what you always said? That you would support me no matter what."

Willie Rae looked down, feeling guilty.

"Would you really have preferred that I had a baby with Finn?" Brenda continued, rubbing salt in the wound her scathing words had caused.

"Lord, not that damned ex-husband of yours. Willie Rae, don't you remember what he did to Brenda's pretty face?" Clay looked torn between hating Fritz and hating Finn.

Fritz turned to Brenda. "He hit you?" He whispered looking Brenda with extreme concern.

Brenda looked away. "We are not talking about this right now." She responded just as quietly.

"Okay, Brenda we promise to support you. Seein' as how much worse it could have been." Willie Rae said just as she elbowed Clay in the side.

"Fine. But if you hurt my little girl, I feel I should warn you I have a large collection of well-maintained shotguns." Clay said, walking closer to Fritz.

"Daddy!" Brenda exclaimed, outraged.

"Alright Brenda. I won't hurt him." He said giving Fritz a look that said he would.

Well, Brenda thought, that went better than I thought.


	6. Chapter 6

The following week went by relatively smoothly, and her parents had just left the day before for Atlanta.

Ring ring ring. Brenda practically ran to her kitchen table when she heard her phone ring.

"Deputy Chief Johnson." She answered immediately.

"Chief!" Lieutenant Provenza's voice filled her ear. "We have a dead body at 677 Matteo."

"I'll be there a soon as I can. " she replied as she hung up.

"Fritzy, I got a murder. But I promise to be home as early as I can." She called to Fritz who was still getting ready in their bedroom down the hall.

He walked out of their bedroom and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Just, be careful, okay Brenda? I love you." He smiled and looked down at her.

"I will. And you better be careful, too." She said. "And I love you, too, Fritzy."

…

Four hours later, Brenda was in her murder room in Parker Center.

"Alright, Lieutenant Tao, would you please review the evidence we have on Mr Brighton.

"Sure thing, Chief." The middle-aged Chinese-American man started. "Our vic, mister Hugh Brighton, the CEO of Goodie Foods, was strangled in his home this afternoon. Now, according to his wife, he had a visitor that was planning on staying for the month. She didn't tell us his name, but he will be back at the residence soon."

…

"Chief the guest has made it here. He's in interview one." Detective Sanchez told his boss. She nodded her head in response and headed into interview room one.

While solely focusing on her paper she said, "Hello, my name is Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson-" When she lifted her eyes, she got the shock of her life.

"I better know who you are, bitch. I did marry you." Finn's familiar twang scared Brenda to no end. Despite this fact, though, Brenda maintained her calm façade.

"Ah, mister Jacobson. It's so… nice to see you again. But, today isn't about us. Today is about Hugh Brighton. Now, mister Jacobson, why were you visitin' mister Brighton?" Brenda said, trying not to let terrifying memories from the past engulf her.

"First off, Brenda, I've seen you naked, you can at least call me by my first name. And secondly, why do you care why I was seein' Hugh? I mean, it's not like we're married anymore, you slut." Finn said, in his patented jerk tone.

"Well, mister Jacobson, first, you are to address me as Chief or Chief Johnson. We are not on a first name basis anymore. Second, the reason I need to know why you were there is because mister Brighton is dead!" Brenda countered, frustration getting the better of her.

…

After half an hour of interviewing Finn, without any progress, Brenda left the interview room. Detective Daniels met her just outside.

"Chief, I can't look at our vic's financials. He's already under investigation for money laundering by the FBI." Detective Daniels said simply as she walked with her boss back to the murder room.

"Shoot! Now I gotta call Fritz- I mean agent Howard, and get him to come brief us on mister Brighton.

…

That night, when Fritz and Brenda got home, Fritz could tell that something was wrong. Sure, Brenda may be able to fool everybody else with her mask of indifference, but Fritz could see right through it. He knew that something was upsetting her.

As they sat down to eat dinner, Fritz decided to broach the subject.

Brenda reached over for her favourite dish, the "Happy Family". Just as she took her first big bite, Fritz interrupted her.

"Brenda, you've been acting strange since you got your new case this morning. What's worrying you?" He said, concerned for her. It wasn't like her not to talk while they were eating dinner.

"Nothin', Fritzy, nothin's wrong." She said. Try as she may, though, Fritz could see that she was acting overly happy.

"Brenda…" Fritz started.

"Fine, fine. It's nothin' to worry about though, Fritzy. It's just, a suspect in my case is…" Brenda shoved a bite of her food into her mouth, making nearly impossible for Fritz to hear what she was saying.

"Pardon me, Brenda, who?" Fritz asked.

"Finn Jacobson!" Brenda responded feeling slightly annoyed that Fritz could see right through her façade.

"Your abusive ex-husband? You went into an interview room- a small, confined space, - with someone who hurt you, both physically and emotionally, and put yourself in extreme danger? Honey, are you alright?" Her boyfriend was incredibly worried for her safety.

"Fritz, it's fine. I can take care of myself." Brenda said trying to sound as convincing as she could.

"Brenda," Fritz said, his voice softer than before. "This isn't just about you anymore"

"I know." She said looking slightly less angry.

"What did he do to you, anyway?" Fritz asked. He had been trying to guess what could have happened during her first marriage since their conversation with her parents about the baby.

Brenda took a deep breath. "Do you remember when I told you about the ethics enquiry my jerk of a husband had IA launch?"

Fritz thought about it for a second. "Yeah, I remember. It was for sexual misconduct with an inferior officer, right?"

"That's right. And I also said that he was a very jealous man." Brenda got a glassy look in her eyes as she thought about horrible memories from long ago. "Well, here's the story... but I'm warning you, it ain't pretty."

…

Brenda's day had been going horribly so far. In fact, by the time she had made it back to Atlanta's police station, she had to question a young girl's mother about her daughter's death. The mother had (after a bit of coaxing from Brenda) admitted to stabbing her little girl seventeen times in the heart because the young girl said she hated her mother's boyfriend. Feeling depressed, Brenda went back to the office to fill out some paperwork. It was then that her friend and colleague sergeant Robert Cannery came in to help.

"Hi Commander. I thought you could use some help writin' up the report." Sgt. Cannery said.

"Thank yew, sergeant." Brenda said.

As they worked on for about an hour, Brenda's husband decided to bring Brenda some takeout for lunch. He drove to her favourite restaurant, picked up some food and continued driving to the Atlanta police station.

He walked up to Brenda's office, and could feel himself getting very pissed at seeing his wife with another man standing in his wife's office.

Later, around nine o'clock that night, Brenda got back home to the house she shared with her husband. She unlocked the door and walked into her living room. When Brenda got in, she saw Finn sitting on their sofa, looking angry and facing the door.

"Hi honey, I'm home." She said, ignoring how furious her husband looked. She thought that he had probably been out drinking a bit too much, as he always did on days that end in y.

"You cheating bitch!" He yelled and walked across the room to where his petite wife was standing. Out of nowhere, his fist connected with her face. Once, twice, three times. Brenda, now on the ground, unholstered her gun and pointed at her husband.

"If you hit me one more time, or try to follow me when I leave, I will shoot you. And I will not be goin' to jail if I do, due to self-defence." Brenda warned. She stood up, picked up her purse and walked out of her house.

She knew that she really should go to a hospital, but decided against it as they would ask how she got her injuries. She got in her car and drove to the one place she knew she would be safe. She went to her parent's house.

Brenda stayed there for a week, and the only people she told the truth about how she got a broken nose and busted lip were her parents.

…

"Why didn't you arrest him?" Fritz asked looking horrified. Throughout the whole story all he wanted was to track down this ass who had completely mistreated Brenda and strangle him.

"Fritz, you wouldn't understand how much I had to go through just to earn basic respect in Atlanta. If anyone found out that I had let my husband hurt me and not be able to stand up for myself, well, the old boys there would've treated me like I was made if glass. I didn't need anyone's sympathy." She said as she wiped away a stray tear that had sprung out as she remembered the blinding pain that had take over her that night.

"God, Brenda, you really didn't deserve that. Are you sure you'll be okay in an interview room with him? Maybe I should interview him, after all this is now a joint case…" Fritz sounded way too happy at the possibility of nailing this guy for a murder.

"No, Fritzy, if anyone's gettin' hurt this time, it won't be me." Brenda replied with a fierce look in her eye.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Sorry, guys. This is gonna be a short chapter full of angst and please don't forget to comment with the baby's name! I've only gotten one suggestion so far!

A week later, after Brenda's ex-husband was their main suspect for murdering Hugh Brighton, though they couldn't get a confession out of him and didn't have enough evidence to arrest him, Brenda and Fritz were out grocery shopping. Fritz had managed to get her to leave work at nine that night and they went to a twenty-four hour supermarket around the block from them.

"Ooh, Fritzy, could you get that box of Ho-Ho's from the top shelf? I can't reach." Brenda pleaded with her arm outstretched as if she was trying to reach it, a craving for chocolate coming on. Fritz reached up and easily grabbed the box.

"Thank you." She said looking like someone had just given her a million dollars.

That's when she heard the voice .

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the little bitch and her boyfriend. What brings you here so late at night?"

The couple turned around, only to come face to face with Finn Jacobson.

"Hey buddy I think maybe you should watch what your saying when talking to a lady" Fritz said, clearly mad at his girlfriend's ex-husband for interrupting their day-to-day lives.

"Lady! I don't see a lady around here. All I see is that slutty cheating bitch who had had a great husband before she threw him away for another man." Finn laughed at the notion that Brenda could be considered a 'lady'. "You know, I bet she's even cheatin' on you."

Fritz looked like he might unholstered his gun and shoot Finn for talking about Brenda so badly. Brenda had another idea, though.

As Fritz took a step towards Finn, menacingly.

"Fritz, stop. It's not worth riskin' your career over this… this… this scum." Brenda tried to come up with the right word as she grabbed her boyfriend's arm, dropped the basket of food, and steered him towards the exit.

…

Later that night, after a bout of what Brenda liked to call 'night sickness', Brenda and Fritz were sitting on her- their - couch watching 'It's a Wonderful Life'. When the credits were rolling, Brenda was growing curious.

"Fritz, why aren't we engaged? After all, I'm pretty sure our relationship is serious." She said as she motioned to her stomach with the hand that wasn't holding Fritz's.

"Well, I was planning to-" Fritz started, but was cut off by Brenda.

"Planning to?!" She exclaimed, thinking that that meant he didn't want to anymore.

"- do it during our first date anniversary dinner, in two days. I had been planning on proposing since we moved in together. But, I guess now is as good a time as ever." Fritz finished. Brenda looked absolutely shocked.

"One more thing, though. Brenda, I remember that you said your ex-husband was a drunk, and a mean one at that. Brenda, I… I…" Fritz was worried about how his announcement would affect their relationship.

"Fritzy, just spit it out." Brenda said, just as she started to feel nervous.

"I used to be an alcoholic. A long time ago, before we started dating. I've been in AA ever since." The words tumbled out of his mouth faster than he had intended.

"What?!" Brenda exclaimed. "You were a… a… a drunk? And you decided that now, right when you were going to propose? Well, Fritz, I'm goin' to bed. Do not feel that you are welcome as well."

Brenda stomped away. Fritz decided that he should wait until tomorrow to try and talk to her. After all, this could just be her hormones, right?

A/N: Don't forget to review with an idea for the baby's name! Also, thanks to Labyrinth01 and ManateeMama for supporting this story so much and for leaving wonderful reviews so many times times!


	8. Chapter 8

Fritz was trying to get as comfortable on the couch as he could. He tossed and turned until he just chose to lie flat on his back. After he had been settled, and just about to fall asleep, he heard a soft sobbing coming from his and Brenda's bedroom.

Taking his chances with a hormonal Brenda, he walked down the hall. When he opened the door it emitted a loud squeak, and he was suddenly reminded he has to put some WD40 on it's hinges.

"Go away." Came a small muffled voice of Brenda from the bed. She was in the fetal position with her knees up near her chest, sobbing into a small red pillow. Even though her soft golden hair covered her face, Fritz could tell that she had been like that ever since she said that she was going to bed.

Instead of doing what she asked, Fritz walked over to the bed and gently rubbed her back.

"Now Brenda, you know I won't do that. What's wrong?" Fritz said in as soothing a voice he could.

"I can't believe you chose now, of all times to tell me you were an alcoholic. What didn't you just go on and propose?" She finished off her question with more sobbing.

"Well, I figured if I said it when we first started dating it would scare you off. And if I said it while we were engaged or married you would resent me for awhile. I just wanted you to know before you made a major commitment." Fritz explained, trying to use his words carefully.

"Major commitment? Fritzy, I think we've already made a major commitment." Brenda stated as if it was obvious.

"I know, but that commitment wasn't exactly planned." He pointed out. For heaven sakes, Brenda thought, why does he always have to be right?

After a few minutes of just silence, Brenda rolled over towards Fritz. She looked him dead in the eyes and said, "Yes."

A now thoroughly confused Fritz looked back at her.

"Yes, what?" He asked.

"Yes, I will marry you." She said. "And do you know why?"

"Because you love me?" Fritz ventured with a smirk.

Brenda ignored his response. "Because you are the most caring, gentle and kind man I know. I know you would never do anything like Finn did, or anything else to hurt me or this baby. Because you are the most wonderful person in this planet."

"And Brenda, I swear I wasn't just asking you because of the baby. You are the one person I've always wanted to marry." Fritz said with the biggest smile he'd ever had in his life.

"Aww, Fritzy…" Brenda started, but was cut off by her fiancé's lips colliding with hers. When Fritz started to pull away, Brenda was disappointed.

"Where're you goin', Fritzy?" She asked as he stood up and strode across the room to their closet. Wordlessly, he slipped inside and took something off the top shelf. As he walked back to her, she could make out a small box in his hand.

"Well, this wouldn't be much of an engagement without a ring, now would it?" Fritz said. He opened the box to reveal a beautiful white gold ring with three medium-sized diamonds in the middle.

"Oh, Fritzy… it's beautiful." She said, enraptured by the stunning ring. She practically shook with happiness when Fritz slid the ring on her finger.

"Glad you like it." Fritz said, happy their earlier argument was forgotten.

"I love you Fritz" Brenda said as she hugged him.

"I love you, too, Brenda." He mumbled back into her soft curls.

A/N: please don't forget to review with the baby's name!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry this chapter is a bit short. It's everything Brenda's thinking about after she and Fritz are engaged. If you like this, you can thank ManateeMama for prompting it with her last review!

Oh my God, Brenda thought. I've done it again. I'm engaged to yet another alcoholic.

Maybe this time'll be be different. After Fritz is super sweet and has never actually been drunk while we were dating. But so was Finn. He was kind, and sweet and gentle, always bringing me little gifts and leaving sweet notes on the counter before she left for work.

But right after they were married he showed his true colours. Always coming home drunk, gettin' upset if she even looked at or spoke to another man. She should have noticed the signs of him bein' jealous before they were even engaged. Always insisting she wear whatever he wanted, and do whatever he wanted.

But Fritz is different, she reminded herself. He has to be…


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Fritzy! Fritzy!" Fritz heard Brenda's panicked voice and forced himself to open his eyes. He turned himself over as fast as he could, worried for his pregnant fiancée' safety.

"Brenda," he started, "what's wrong?"

"I just realised how many people we still have to tell about the baby. After all, I'm four months pregnant and I can't wear loose-fitting shirts forever. And what about me goin' out in the field? I'm gonna be tied to my desk and not be able to work for months!" Brenda looked like she might go crazy. She was kneeling over him and waving her hands violently.

Fritz propped himself up on his elbow and, just for a second, wondered if Brenda truly was sane. He took that thought back as soon as it had come though. He knew that she was just feeling the stress of the moment.

"Brenda, I know your worried about how your life will change in the next few months, but you need to calm down. You're stressing yourself out over something that won't happen for awhile. And if you really want to tell people that we're engaged and that your expecting, nothing's holding you back from telling your squad, or the rest of your family, or Claire, or anyone else you'd like for that matter." Fritz consoled his worried fiancée.

"But, Fritzy, I don't wanna tell anyone without you. I mean, I may be the one with the baby in her body, but you're the dad. I want people to know that." Brenda said. God, she thought, these hormones really are making me the world's biggest sap.

"That's really sweet, hon. Why don't we tell your squad today?" Fritz was so happy to finally here Brenda be needy when she didn't want the FBI resources to help her with a case.

"One more thing, Fritzy. LAPD policy says that before I tell my squad, I have to inform my immediate superior officer..." Brenda said nervously, glancing away.

"That's ok, Brenda. Why don't we just tell Pope today?" Her fiancé suggested.

"Okay, I guess. Don't you think it will be a little weird?" Brenda replied.

"I guess, but, really, what can he do?" Fritz said.

…

"And if we do end up doing this, it could cost the city upwards of seven hundred thousand dollars." Will was just finishing up a meeting with commander Taylor when Brenda knocked at the door.

"Alright, commander Taylor. We'll finish this later." He dismissed commander Taylor. As Taylor left, Brenda and Fritz walked in.

"Hi Will." Brenda drawled. "Fritz and I have somethin' to tell you." Deciding her best option was to be blunt, like ripping off a Band-Aid, she said, "I'm pregnant."

Fritz, who had not said a word the whole time, but just had this dopey grin on his face, wondered why Pope didn't look very surprised at this. He was a good detective, Fritz thought, he must have noticed little things about Brenda that made him realise what was going on.

"Okay, so I umm… congratulations, I guess." He said, rather uncomfortably. He probably wishes he had never let her go, Fritz thought. Seriously, what man would ever let Brenda Leigh Johnson get away? Too many, he thought solemnly. And each and every was an idiot. I'm so glad I didn't, he thought, the dopey grin now on his face for a new reason.

…

Later that night, Fritz and Brenda were both sitting at their dining room table, drowning in paperwork. Every so often one of them would glance up and see if the other was done, and, upon noticing they weren't, would go back to working on their own paperwork.

After a few hours later Brenda finally looked up from her paperwork.

"Done!" She exclaimed, looking absolutely exhausted.

Fritz gave a good natured smile.

"Alright, I guess you get to choose tonight. Take out or restaurant?" He said, honouring a bet they had made earlier. It was whichever one finished first picked what they were going to do for supper.

"I'm thinkin'… Italian takeout." She said with a smirk. Brenda knew that Fritz absolutely hated when they got Italian takeout as he thought that if you're going to get pasta, it might as well be while you're sitting in a nice dining room.

"Alright, alright. I'll get the flyer." He said as he stood up with his arms held up as if in surrender.

"Mmmm… Thank you, Fritzy." Brenda said with the exact same smile that cat that ate the canary had.

…

While Fritz went to go get the food, Brenda decided to review the case that she was working on.

Hannah Laura Brendan. 39. Blonde, petite, and five months pregnant. She was abducted from her home in the Hollywood Hills, was raped, tortured and burned to death.

The same MO was used on Eleanor Wilson, aged 41, four months pregnant, petite and blonde. It was also used on Jillian Carter, who was 38 five and a half months pregnant, petite and blonde.

As Brenda looked at each of their photos, she was a bit shaken that each of the women looked more than a little like her. Better remember to lock the door, she thought, glad that Fritz was now living with her.

That's when she heard the noise.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Just a warning, this chapter has some content that can be bothering. Proceed with caution!**

Brenda's vision was slowly, but surely coming back. She reluctantly opened her eyes, and, upon seeing a dim, dark and dirty room, opened her eyes as fast as she could.

When she saw a dark figure, she managed to say, "who are you?" Before blacking out again.

…

Fritz was beyond worried. It had been hours since he had left at Brenda's request to go get Italian takeout. He had gotten home, and, upon noticing his fiancée wasn't there, he guessed she was at a crime scene. It wasn't until ten seconds later that her spotted her purse that he proceeded to panic.

She would never leave her purse behind.

…

The next time Brenda opened her eyes she was in another room on a foul smelling old mattress with a thin sheet covering her. After a few minutes she vacant fully aware that underneath that sheet she wasn't wearing what she was when she had been kidnapped. She wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing at all.

As she tried to move so that she was covered by the sheet, she became acutely aware of the padded handcuffs that were used to keep her arms pulled up above her head, attached to the cheap fake wood headboard, and the two pairs holding her legs open at the opposite end. She also noticed the pain in her core and that her head was bleeding. Brenda then remembered her engagement ring. She couldn't feel it on her left hand. Moving her head up at an awkward angle she could see that it was in fact missing from her finger. With panic setting in she tried without success to free herself. When that didn't work, she tried screaming.

The dark figure she had seen before stepped out of the shadows.

"And Sleeping Beauty is awake at last. Did I make you feel good?"

…

The murder room was it's usual quietness, as it always was when the squad was giving their all on a case.

All of a sudden Fritz walked in, his usually tan skin now blanched. Something was wrong.

As the second in command, lieutenant Provenza took it upon himself to ask Fritz what was wrong.

Wordlessly, Fritz handed the resealed cardboard box which was no bigger than his fist. Provenza popped opened the box and nearly had a heart attack when he saw what was inside.

_I'm sure you're worried about your fiancée, Agent Howard, but if you ever want to see her again you will do exactly as I say. Leave all the evidence relating to the other murders I've committed at 8345 Eastlake drive at 5 pm the day after tomorrow, or she dies just like Hannah, Eleanor and Jillian._

_Sincerely,_

_Your worst nightmare_

After Provenza got over his initial shock of seeing the letter he looked to see what else's was in the box. A bloody diamond engagement ring. He turned to Gabriel.

"Get this to printing." He said as he handed over the terrifying note. "Now. And tell them that we'll pay the extra thousand dollars for them to put it directly to the front of the line." He turned to Sanchez. "Sanchez, get this blood typed as fast as you can. Find out if it's the Chief's."

Each left with a "yes, sir".

Provenza then turned to look at Fritz. "You are engaged to the Chief? When did this happen?"

"About two days ago. Oh, God. I can't get that evidence! I don't work for the LAPD!" Fritz said as he went back into panic mode. "I swear when I find the son of a bitch… if he touched a hair on Brenda's head." His panic was now throwing gas on the fire of his anger.

"Well, there's not much you can do, but considering the circumstances I suggest you let us help you." He said seriously.

"Oh, trust me. I will. This bastard is gonna pay…" Fritz said with a look of fury in his eyes.

…

The familiar ache was back in Brenda's nether regions. He had forced himself on her for the third time since she'd been conscious, and that was without counting however many times he had while she was unconscious.

As she laid there, memories if the previous night had hit her like a tidal wave.

…

She had heard a small noise, sort of like a baby's cry, just outside her patio door.

She lifted herself up off the couch, slipped on her fuzzy grey kitten slippers, and slowly, walked towards the door. Thinking back she realised that she should have brought her weapon with her. Oh, who am I kiddin', she thought, who brings a gun when they hear a baby cryin'?

Anyway, she walked towards the door, slowly and carefully slid the glass door open, and stepped outside. That's when she felt something heavy hit her head.

…

And now here I am, she thought to herself, tied to a bed, hoping that someone will find me. Please Fritzy, she thought, really hoping that she and Fritz were both telepathic, please save me…


	12. Chapter 12

It had been four hours since Fritz had shown up in the murder room, and no new evidence had been found.

"Dammit!" Fritz yelled as he clicked on something on the computer. He stood up. "Dammit! We have to find her soon. Don't you remember why this psycho's MO is? He kidnaps a woman, holds her hostage for two or three days, rapes her that whole time, and then burns her alive!"

"Special agent Howard, sit back down! We all know this creep's MO and are working as hard as we can. We want to find the Chief as much as you do. But we can't just stop working and yell about it. We need to keep working." Provenza reasoned with him. Just as Fritz was about to respond, Sgt. Gabriel came back into the murder room.

"I've got good news! The blood is not the Chief's. though it is the same type, the person this belongs to is pregnant. So that means the Chief isn't hurt, right?" Gabriel said looking relieved. Provenza, though, just looked at Fritz.

"Special agent Howard," Provenza started, looking suspiciously at Brenda's fiancé, "the Chief isn't pregnant, is she?"

Every eye in Priority Homicide landed on Fritz as the whole room held their breath. Fritz considered his options, and decided that it was probably best to just tell them all the truth.

"Bren- the Chief, is pregnant. I'm the father." He said looking forlorn. "And this son of a bitch could kill my fiancé and my child if we don't get back to work right now. Can we just… just do our jobs? Please? Let's just find Brenda and bring her back home safely. She has to make it back safely."

…

"Oh, Brenda, now, don't try to escape again, or I won't be so gentle next time." Brenda's captor, who only every wanted her to call him master, said to her. He was referring to only hours earlier when Brenda had managed to break a slat off of the cheap wooden headboard her arms were attached to and tried to pick the lock on the other cuffs using a pin she had in her hair. But, unfortunately, her master had walked in and was extremely rough with her. She now had blood trickling down her forehead as a result.

…

"We have exactly twelve hours to find the Chief before she, I mean before her abductor, before he…" Flynn reminded the other members of PHD as they all continued working.

Just then Sanchez looked up from his computer. "I got something from prints. There were prints from Lieutenant Provenza and Special agent Howard, but there were also prints from a known rapist, Quentin Lamont. He's got an ankle bracelet, and, right now, it puts him at what is said to be his house but is actually an abandoned apartment building."

"Let's go!" Provenza said, already putting on his LAPD bulletproof vest.

…

Brenda's "master" was just finishing up another round with her when there was a knock at the door. Thirty seconds later, after having gotten dressed and locking the door to Brenda's room from the outside, he answered it.

Fritz was the first one to barge through the door. He picked up the slightly shorter man by the lapels and held him up against the wall.

"You son of a bitch! Where is she?" He shouted at Brenda's torturer.

"She who?" Quentin replied with a sick smirk that told Fritz he knew exactly what was going on.

"Brenda! The woman I love! The soon-to-be mother of my child! Where is she? Where is she?" He yelled back, each sentence ended by Quentin's head was shoved against the wall.

Daniels, who along with the rest of PHD was searching the complex, yelled out loudly, "I've got her!"

Fritz dropped Quentin off with a uniformed officer who had come with them and sprinted to where the sound of Daniels voice was. When he walked in he saw the love of his life lying bake on an old mattress, secured by leather handcuffs, whose locks Daniels was already in the middle of picking. Brenda, of course, was so relived to be rescued, burst out in tears of joy.

Before any of the male members of her squad made it up there, Brenda was hugging Fritz, the sheet from her bed now wrapped tightly around her in an attempt to preserve her modesty (not that there was much left to preserve in her opinion).

"Fritzy, Fritzy… I love you. Don't let go." Brenda said. Fritz could tell whatever happened to her had shaken her to the core.

As he hugged her back, smoothing down her frizzy blonde curls he said, "Shhh… Brenda, it's okay. You're safe now. I love you, too."

A/N: Reviews make me update faster! :)


	13. Chapter 13

After Brenda was checked out by the EMTs, she was sent to a rape treatment centre, and then the hospital. At her request, Fritz was with her the whole time. Once, when he was forced to wait outside her hospital room and she noticed he was gone, she started to panic. As the monitors monitoring her heart rate sped up, the nurse came running in.

"Fritzy?" Brenda screamed. "Fritz, where are you? Fritz? Fritz?" Her arms were flailing everywhere and her voice just got louder and louder.

When Fritz hear his name being yelled from the waiting room, he managed to convince the nurses to let him go see Brenda. As he walked in to her bland-looking hospital room he grabbed Brenda's hand and sat in the chair right next to her bed.

Brenda, now feeling a lot more relieved, began to relax. He heart rate slowed, and she stopped screaming.

"Don't leave, Fritz." She said quietly. "Don't leave me again." And with that she proceeded to fall asleep.

…

After hours of paperwork on his fiancée's behalf, Fritz finished most of it. He still needed Brenda to write down what had happened to her when she was kidnapped.

Just as he signed on as next of kin, Brenda began began to stir. At first Fritz thought that she was waking up, but that wasn't it. As she seemed to push her legs together, he could make out a faint "No!" that had fallen from her lips. She then proceeded to toss and turn, as if trying to turn away from someone.

"No! No! I said don't touch me! No, no not there… I'm pregnant! No!" She screamed in her sleep.

Worried about her safety and her mental health, Fritz tried to pin down her arms.

"Brenda! Brenda, wake up!" Fritz's useless attempts to wake her up failed.

"No, get your hands off me! Don't touch me!" Brenda shrieked, tears now pouring down her face.

Fritz shook her shoulders, and her eyes popped open.

"Fritzy? Why are you holdin' me down? I'm fine." She said, utterly confused.

"Brenda." Fritz said tenderly. "You were having a nightmare. You were screaming at… at… at that monster not to touch you. I just wanted to keep you from hurting yourself and to get you out of there. Just because you had to live through it once doesn't mean I'm gonna let you relive it every time you try to rest. I'm not gonna let that monster ruin you." As he tucked a strand of her golden hair behind her ear, his hand passing over her forehead drenched in sweat.

"I'm fine-" was all a tearful Brenda managed to reply before her doctor came back in. Fritz sat back down and held her hand, to which Brenda had no objections.

"Ah, looks like Sleeping Beauty's finally awake. Hi, miss Johnson. I'm doctor Crane." The tall man with short blonde hair in the white lab coat reached out to shake Brenda's hand. Brenda, though, was paralysed by his words.

That's what he called me, she thought. Sleeping Beauty. Memories of her abduction came flooding back. She was shaken back to reality, though, when she heard someone called her name.

"Brenda, Brenda! Are you okay?" Fritz said concernedly.

Choosing to pretend nothing was wrong, she snapped back to reality. "I'm fine." She said in her thick southern drawl. "Nice to meet you Dr. Crane." She shook his hand. "I know I'm fine, but is the baby alright?" Please, she thought, after all this don't let me have lost my child. Wow, I never thought I would think that.

"Yes, yes. You child is quite alright just slightly hungry and thirsty as I suppose you are. In fact, if you would like, I could perform an ultrasound for you to see them right now. Is that okay with you, miss Johnson?" Dr. Crane asked.

"Yes, that would be fine. I read somewhere that you can tell the gender of the baby at eighteen weeks. Is that true?" Brenda asked.

"Yes, miss Johnson, it is. How far along are you?" Dr. Crane responded.

"Eighteen weeks as of three days ago. Can you tell us our baby's gender?" Brenda asked hopefully. "Oh, sorry, Fritz. Do you want to know the baby's sex?" She said as she turned awkwardly towards her fiancé.

"I want to if you do, honey. So doctor, is it possible?" Fritz said without letting go of Brenda's hand.

"I might be able to." Was all he responded as he lifted Brenda's blue hospital gown above her slight baby bump. This didn't go over to well with a still traumatised Brenda. She didn't say anything but Fritz could see on her face that she was beginning to panic.

"Brenda, it's okay. He's just getting you ready for the ultrasound." He whispered as he reassured her and squeezed her hand a little tighter.

As Dr. Crane spread the cool gel over Brenda's almost nonexistent stomach she gave an involuntary twitch. Dr. Crane didn't seem to notice and moved on. He picked up the ultrasound wand and rolled it slowly over Brenda's stomach looking for the best spot to see the baby. When he found it he just stared at the screen for a few seconds.

"Is there something wrong, doctor?" Fritz asked picking up on his slight pause.

"No, I'm just…" He took a deep breath. "Well, it looks like you're going to have a healthy baby… girl! Congratulations!"

The happy couple was now hugging each other as best they could, what with Brenda's stomach being covered in gel and the IV in the back of the hand Fritz was holding.

"Umm… miss Johnson, there is a matter that doesn't directly relate your pregnancy that we must talk about. Would you prefer mister Howard left the room?" Dr. Crane looked mildly uncomfortable.

"No, no. Whatever you say to me you can say to Fritz." Brenda said nonchalantly.

"Well, earlier examinations by other doctors show that you have extensive scarring you your uterus. I'm sorry to have to ask you this, but miss Johnson, have you ever terminated a pregnancy?" The doctor asked. Brenda visibly blanched.

"Umm ..." Brenda said wondering if she could lie her way out of this one. "Yes, doctor I have. About eight years ago in fact."


	14. Chapter 14

Brenda and Fritz's long ride from Cedars hospital to Parker Centre was mostly quiet until halfway there Fritz decided to confirm what he already suspected.

"It was Pope's, wasn't it?" Fritz asked earnestly while at a red light.

Brenda looked away. She was really hoping that this topic wouldn't ever come up, and yet here they were talking about it.

"Yes." She replied, thinking it was best not to lie. "I found out the day after he left me for Estelle. Although he told me he was goin' to try to fix his marriage with Lilly."

"Unbelievable. Did you ever tell him?" He took advantage of the long red light to look at her. Upon seeing the sad look on Brenda's face, he reached out with one had and caught a stray tear that was rolling down her cheek.

"Alright, Fritz. You want details? I'll give you details…"

…

As Brenda reached for the door handle to Deputy Chief Pope's office, she couldn't help but shake a little. What was he goin' to say? Brenda wondered. Would he be supportive? Would he take her back? I hope he takes me back, Brenda thought.

Finally, after a few minutes to boost her confidence, she reached one tiny hand over to the shiny brass handle that adorned Will's door. She turned it ever so carefully and slipped into his office.

Pope was sitting there, behind his desk, doing paperwork as if nothing had changed. Bravely, Brenda took a step into her former lover's office.

"Brenda," Pope said as she walked into his office. "Good to see you. Are you here to update me on your current case?"

Brenda took as deep a breath as she could manage. "No, Will, I'm not. I need to tell you somethin'."

Will looked annoyed at his former mistress. Of course she was going to try to get back together. "Brenda, if you're here to try and repair our relationship, just… don't. I wanna try to fix my marriage."

"Will, this is really important-" she tried to start, but was cut off by Pope.

"Brenda, just don't. What part of we're breaking up didn't you understand yesterday?" Will looked at Brenda with an air of pity. Of course she would do anything to get back together with him.

"Will- you don't get it. I'm pregnant." Brenda said bluntly.

Will just laughed. "Sure you are. Just like I'm the most fit man in all of the department."

"No, Will, I'm bein' serious. I'm pregnant with your child." Brenda pleaded. Please, please, please, let him believe me she thought.

Instead he just turned, handed her some twenty-dollar bills. "Here," Will said. "Get yourself an abortion. I wanna fix things with my wife."

…

Brenda, who was now bawling in the passenger seat of Fritz's car just muttered, "he just handed me some money, like some prostitute. Like I wasn't important and he could just pay for me to get out of his life."

Having just pulled into the Parker Centre's parking lot, Fritz unbuckled his seatbelt and turned towards his crying fiancée. He place a hand on her shaking shoulder and slowly hugged her. Brenda, thankful for a shoulder to cry on, finished her story.

"I couldn't tell my parents about the pregnancy, that much was certain. You saw how they nearly ripped your head off and we're in a commuted relationship. Fritzy, do you remember that abortion clinic you drive me to when we were working the case of a murdered unfaithful husband?"

"Yeah, why?" Fritz asked.

"I didn't really question any suspects there. I got an abortion." She released Fritz and turned to look guiltily out the window.

"Brenda," Fritz said as he used a hand to turn her face back towards him, "what happened wasn't just your fault. Pope played a big role in this, too. He shouldn't have done what he did, but he really never knew how good he had until you were gone."

"Oh, Fritz..." Brenda started, but was soon cut off by a feather light kiss Fritz place on her mouth.

"I'm gonna be late givin' my statement if we wait out here any longer." She said as she looked in her mirror to reapply some makeup. She didn't want anyone to know she was crying.

…

Fifteen minutes later, Brenda was in interview room one being interviewed by Lieutenant Provenza.

"Alright, Chief, I know you know how this works, but I gotta say it for the camera. I'm gonna ask a few questions about your abduction. Please answer them truthfully, and in as much detail as possible." The lieutenant said rather uncomfortably. "First question. Chief, how exactly did this asshole- I mean our suspect- get you to leave your house?"

"I was sittin' in my sofa, reading our newest case files on this case, actually. I heard a noise from outside that sounded like a baby cryin'. I went outside and was hit in the head with a heavy object." The Chief explained, her voice hard and emotionless.

"Okay, now, Chief, you can choose not to answer this, but it would be the only way for you to press charges. What exactly happened in the thirty-six hours during your abduction?" Now Provenza was feeling downright awkward.

Brenda sat there for a few moments, considering her options.

"I first woke up, handcuffed to a metal chair. I blacked out again, and woke up handcuffed with leather handcuffs. Next thing I knew he was… he was… he was inside me." She said, trying to sound as fearless as possible.

"By that do you mean he raped you?" Lieutenant Provenza asked concernedly.

"Yes. I counted seventeen times in the thirty-six hours I was missin'." She said as if she were simply stating a fact.

"Oh, God." Provenza muttered as he turned his head away. "Chief, are you alright?"

"I'm fine lieutenant. I just have to be evaluated by the department shrink. I just wanna go back to work." She said. Brenda was absolutely emotionless, a cold, hard mask of indifference on her face. But really, she was crying on the inside.


	15. Chapter 15

Two months later, Brenda's nightmares were getting better, so much, in fact, that Fritz could now sleep in their bed without her panicking. As Brenda rolled over to shut off her beeping alarm clock, she nudged Fritz.

"Fritzy, honey, we gotta leave now." Brenda said gently.

"Alright, alright. The only reason I'm going today anyway is so that I can watch your ex-husband be sentenced to life without parole for murder one." He replied sleepily. Brenda leaned down and placed a feather light kiss on his lips.

"We do have to get ready now, though." Brenda reminded him. As both of them got out of bed and got dressed, Fritz looked at his fiancée with a look of worry in his eyes.

"Are you sure you're ready to testify against him, Brenda? Because Flynn or Provenza could testify just as easily." He said, as he place his hands on her shoulders.

"I'll be fine, Fritzy. I want that asshole rottin' in jail where he belongs." Brenda said fiercely.

"That's my girl." Fritz replied, grateful she wasn't anxious.

…

"Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" The court bailiff asked later, Brenda's hand placed on the bible.

"I do." Was Brenda's short and simple reply. She walked to go take the stand, moving the chair quite a bit farther than usual to make up for her current state.

"Miss Johnson," the honourable Judge Hadley instructed the chief, "Please state your name and business."

"I'm Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, head of the Los Angeles Police Department's Priority Homicide Division." She stated as she had so many times before.

"Mister Garnett, proceed with your questions." The judge told the DDA.

"Thank you, your Honour." Deputy District Attorney Garnett said and looked at Brenda. He proceeded with his questions, Brenda answering each truthfully. Now, it was the defence's turn to question the Chief.

"Deputy Chief Johnson," Finn's attorney started. "What is your relation to the defendant?"

"I don't see what this has to do with anythin'." Brenda said, hoping that DDA Garnett would object to this line of questioning.

"Your Honour…" The attorney representing her former husband started. She looked at the judge expectantly.

Judge Hadley turned to look at the Chief. "Miss Johnson, you will answer the question." He instructed rather harshly.

After a few moments of silence, Brenda took a deep breath. "He's my ex-husband." She stated, looking at Finn as if she hoped he would drop dead right then and there.

"And would this have an effect on your objectivity?" The lawyer continued, knowing exactly how to discredit this Deputy Chief.

"Absolutely not. My job is to stay objective to try and find out who murdered the victim." She replied. Brenda could tell exactly what she was trying to do. Well, she thought, I'm not gonna let some slimy lawyer discredit me. After all, I solved this case based on cold, hard evidence.

"Do you mean to tell me that you wouldn't want to throw this man in jail simply because he is your ex-husband. After all, who _wouldn't_ want their ex in jail?" The attorney contradicted. A quiet laugh spread throughout the courtroom.

Brenda, not one to be laughed at, sat up slightly straighter, a grim expression fixed itself upon her face. "I'm not lettin' it affect my decision, councillor. I'm basin' my decision on the facts and forensics. And one more thing- oomph" Brenda was cut off by a small wave of pain in her abdomen and the feeling of wetness pooling on her chair.

"Deputy Chief Johnson, are you alright?" The judge asked, noticing the painful expression etched into her features.

"I'm… I'm fine." She said, clearly not. Brenda wasn't sure who, but she heard someone yell to call an ambulance.

…

"Miss Johnson, you were very lucky today. You accidentally went into a very early labour, but because only one of the two layers of your water broke, your baby will be fine." The doctor who had been treating Brenda all afternoon told her.

At this, Brenda and Fritz, who, just like last time she was in the hospital, was sitting on the chair next to her bed holding her hand, looked a lot more relieved. Their daughter was safe and sound.

"I do, however have to put you on bed rest for the next six weeks, until you are less than a month away from your February twentieth due date." The doctor finished. Brenda and Fritz just looked at her with twin expressions of disbelief on their faces. No way was she ever going to survive a month and a half of lying in bed, doing nothing.

"Doctor," Brenda asked hopefully, "are there _any_ other options?"

"I'm sorry, miss Johnson. This is the only option in which the baby is almost guaranteed to stay safe." The doctor explained patiently. "Alright, miss Johnson, here are the details of the bed rest. You must lay flat for the whole day. The only exception is that you may stand up for a total of forty-five minutes daily."

Brenda, too stunned to say anything, relied on her fiancé to answer.

"Thank you, doctor." Fritz replied politely. "And when will Brenda be discharged from here?"

"Tomorrow morning, if all goes as planned." The doctor answered. "Alright, try to relax and I'll be back later to double check your vitals." The doctor said as she left.

"I'm not goin' to be able to do anything for weeks?" Brenda said, horrified at the thought.

This, she thought, is gonna be the longest month and a half of my life.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: sorry I haven't updated in so long and left you guys hanging! I'll try not to let that happen again.

Trying to sleep at the hospital that night had been nearly impossible for two reasons. In some cruel twist of fate, the head nurse, or another member of the hospital, was named Brenda. This may not seem too bad, but when you're trying to fall asleep and keep hearing people call your name over the intercom, it really makes it hard to get some rest.

The second reason she was having so much difficulty sleeping was that the some member of the hospital staff had decided that Fritz wasn't allowed to stay by his fiancé's side that night, and being in a small beige room alone at night when you can't sleep really isn't the best place to be when you are trying not to worry about your unborn child's health.

"Would Brenda please report to room 361, Brenda room 361. " The intercom squawked loudly.

Figuring that she should probably use her time wisely, Brenda picked up the notepad and pen she always kept in her purse from the bag next to her bed. With a brief moment to collect her thoughts, she shifted her pillows so that her body was in a pseudo sitting position. She turned on the small white lamp on her bedside table, balance her small notebook on her now quite large stomach, picked up her pen and started to write.

"Possible names for baby girl Johnson-Howard," she scrawled at the top of the list. "This is gonna be a long night," she mumbled to herself.

…

The next morning, as Brenda was getting ready to go back home, she picked up her notebook and slipped it in her purse before Fritz, who had been let in just an hour and a half earlier, could see it. He didn't need to know about what she did during her sleepless night.

A nurse tried to guide a cranky Brenda into a wheelchair, much to her dismay.

"I am able to walk, thank you very much." Brenda snapped at the nurse. The nurse, having dealt with many mothers-to-be who didn't want special treatment, simply replied, "I'm sorry, ma'am, it's hospital policy."

As Brenda started to respond, Fritz cut in. "Brenda," he said, giving her a look, "let them do their job."

"Fine," Brenda replied with an eye-roll and a huff as she sat down unceremoniously on the uncomfortable chair. She tried to adjust herself to allow for more comfort,

…

Minutes later, in Fritz's car, Fritz decided to broach a somewhat sensitive subject with Brenda.

"Hey, Brenda, I got a call from my sister, Claire, yesterday." He said nonchalantly.

"Mhmm." Brenda mumbled as she stared out the window.

"And she was able to book a flight that flies out on Thursday. She really wanted to come meet you and spend Christmas with us. Claire's really excited to meet you, honey, even now when she doesn't know about the baby" Fritz said, hoping that Brenda wouldn't freak out.

All of a sudden Brenda's eyes went wide. "That's the same day my parents, my brothers and their families are comin' for Christmas. Remember, they wanted to go somewhere without as much snow as Atlanta? What are we going to do? I mean, have to tell them all, except for mama and daddy."

"Well, Brenda, it might be better if I told them before they saw you. After all they may not be detectives, but I think they could figure out our little secret." Fritz's eyes crinkled a little on the sides and he smiled at his own joke.

"You're right, Fritzy. Why don't you tell them as you're drivin' back at forth. After all, mama and daddy are comin' from Atlanta, Claire from New Jersey, Bobby from Arizona, Clay Jr. from New York, and Jimmy from Montreal," she paused for a moment. "Are you sure we can do this?"

"Absolutely." He responded, thinking she was talking about having all of these relatives over. He took advantage of a long red light to steal a glance at his nervous fiancée. She just stared out the window. Can I do this? She thought, can I really be someone's mother? Someone who shapes the mind of a young person? As far as I can tell, I have no maternal instincts.

…

Brenda's first day on bed rest wasn't exciting in the least. That is, until she got a call from Sgt. Gabriel around noon.

"Chief," the younger man said on the other side of the line. "We've got a body. Lieutenant Tao wants to know if you'd like us to send over copies of the report, the crime scene video and pictures of all the evidence."

"Thank you, Sergeant. That would be wonderful." She replied, great full for a distraction. "And please remember that as long as I have access to my phone I am still in charge."

"Of course, Chief." Sergeant Gabriel replied. She shut her phone and waited for the evidence.

…

Brenda had used four of her alloted forty-five minutes to fetch her laptop and plug it in.

"Hmm…" Brenda mumbled deep in thought. "If he had committed suicide, then the gun wouldn't have reloaded. This is definitely murder." She said to herself as she looked over the crime scene video of a thirty-seven year old murder victim. The poor man had been set up so that it looked like he was murdered, but Brenda could tell that this wasn't the case.

As she continued scrutinising the evidence while lying down on the couch, she heard the familiar sound of Fritz's keys in the lock of their front door. He closed it, and walked to the living room where he found an annoyed looking Brenda.

Deciding to tempt fate, he greeted her with, "Hi, honey. How was your day?".

Brenda, who considered this day to be absolutely frustrating, shot him a look.

"How does it look like it's going? I'm up to my eyeballs in paperwork and I can't even interview my suspect." She finished with a sigh, tossing her head back on the chesterfield's armrest. "And I ate the last Ho-Ho."

Fritz would almost have found this funny, if it weren't for Brenda looking so exhausted and cranky. Trying to think of an idea to cheer her up, Fritz remembered something.

"Did you check your emergency stash in the filing cabinet?" He asked, really hoping she had forgotten. Fritz didn't think he could handle her without post-dinner chocolate fix.

"I completely forgot!" Brenda exclaimed. With a look of pure joy on her face she moved to get up.

"Ah- ah. You know you're not supposed to get up unless you really have to. I'll go get it." Fritz said.

…

Five minutes later, Brenda was happily finishing off a Ho-Ho. Now that she's in a much better mood, Fritz thought, we should probably discuss tomorrow.

"Brenda," he started, unsure how to proceed. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"What's happenin' tomorrow?" She asked, too focused on the chocolatey goodness she was devouring.

"Sweetie, everyone's coming tomorrow." Fritz reminded her.

"Tomorrow's Thursday?" She looked like someone had thrown a bucket of ice water on her head. "But we still have so much to do! We have to clean the house and…" She rattled on, looking more and more stressed as she listed each item on her to-do list.

"Brenda, we'll be fine. Don't worry. I know Claire will be thrilled to be an aunt, and your brothers will be thrilled to be uncles. At least they know we're engaged, so that's one less thing we have to tell them. Just… relax. I'll take care of everything." He said in an attempt to calm her down.

"Alright, Fritzy." Was all Brenda had left to say.

"One more thing…" Fritz started.

"Yes?"

"There's something you might want to know about Claire…"


End file.
